The food hall trend seems to be here to stay. With openings left and right, the new standard has been set. But, what about the originals? Have we forgotten the old standbys that had nuanced concepts much ahead of their times? In this post, we pay homage to the markets around the country that paved the way for today’s movement.

FRENCH MARKET DISTRICT, NEW ORLEANS

Before there were terms like “foodie” and “yelp”, society’s biggest concerns were avoiding food spoilage. In the late 1700’s that wasn’t an easy feat. In an effort to preserve and protect the goods entering the New Orleans port, the Spaniards began constructing a market on the riverfront in 1779. Unfortunately, this original market place fell victim to the New Orleans fire of 1788 and its replacement was destroyed in 1812 by a hurricane. Despite numerous fires and hurricanes, some of the buildings that comprise the French Market date back to 1813 and have been refurbished over the years. Today, the district encompasses six blocks in the historic French Quarter and is home to some of our favorite New Orleans’ institutions like Café Du Monde and Loretta’s along with a vibrant farmer’s market and local, artisan vendors.

PIKE PLACE MARKET, SEATTLE

Sometimes food halls have humble beginnings. Take for instance Pike Place Market. It was created in 1907 to provide farmers a place to sell goods directly to consumers, essentially to cut out the middleman. Seattle City Councilman, Thomas Revelle, the instigator behind the market, wanted a place for families to come together and stated, “The Market is yours. I dedicate it to you and may it prove of benefit to you and your children. It is for you to protect, defend, and uphold and it is for you to see that those who occupy it treat you fairly…” After struggling through The Great Depression, World War I, and World War II, the building was in a state dispair. Local architect Victor Steinbreuck created the “Save The Market” campaign which led the 17-acre area to be categorized as a historic district in 1971. More than 100 years later, the market continues to be a place of pride for the city and features some of the best local produce, goods, and provisions the greater Seattle area has to offer.

GRAND CENTRAL MARKET, LOS ANGELES

Image from Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection

If there is one food hall that has stood the test of time, it’s Grand Central Market. Originally opening its doors in 1917, the market has had to adapt to the times through “depressions, repressions, and redevelopment.” In 1984, the market was purchased by Ira Yellin, a developer that envisioned the market as a place for California’s entrepreneurs and chefs to feature the bounty of the state. It went though a revitalization in 2012 in an attempt to be more relevant in the foodie revolution. Today, the market features more than 35 vendors with flavors and cuisines representative of the diverse population of LA.

FANEUIL HALL MARKETPLACE, BOSTON

The story behind Faneuil Hall, known to locals as Quincy Market, showcases Bostonians’ love of their city. Once the location of the Boston Tea Party rebellion – the famous one from your history class – the market now features more than 70 retailers and 40 tenants. Located in the heart of Downtown, the Faneuil Hall Marketplace was created in 1976 after the city was given a grant to restore the four historic buildings that date back to the 1800s. If you consider yourself a history buff, you’ll be excited to learn that the buildings sit in the middle of the Freedom Trail, a red-lined route highlighting the significant sites around Boston related to the American Revolution.

CHELSEA MARKET, NEW YORK CITY

Image from Pearlbear78/Flickr via Business Insider

Located in the Meatpacking District of Manhattan, Chelsea Market has become a favorite for tourists and locals alike. The mixed-use development opened its doors in 1997, but was originally the home to the National Biscuit Company, better known to most as Nabisco (you know, the Oreo investors). Purchased as a foreclosure property in 1990 by developer, Irwin B. Cohen, he sold the company to Jamestown Properties in 2003. If you’re from Atlanta, you may notice some similarities from Chelsea Market; Jamestown is the developer behind Westside Provisions District and Ponce City Market. Currently, the market houses 58 vendors and welcomes more than six million national and international tourists each year.

*UPDATE: As of February, Chelsea Market was purchased by Google for $2 billion with its future hanging in the balance.

**UPDATED May 23, 2018 to include New Orleans’ French Market.

There’s nothing more satisfying than the combination of a flakey, buttery pastry with sweet or savory ingredients. From France’s Quiche Lorraine to Kentucky’s Derby Pie, it doesn’t matter how you make the pie, we’re going to devour it. But, what about the lesser known pies that are just as good, if not better, that haven’t had their day to shine.

Before uncovering these global delicacies, it was imperative to find out about the quintessential American pie: apple pie. We’ve grown up believing that this is one of the greatest food symbols for the US, but why?

A QUICK HISTORY OF APPLE PIE

According to What’s Cooking America, the original apple pie was nothing like what we enjoy today because it was sans sugar and wasn’t supposed to be eaten. Instead, it was used as a vessel to hold the apples. It wasn’t until sugar became more easily accessible and less expensive that it started to take its current form. Interestingly, when you trace the origins of apple pie, it’s more British than anything else. It arrived in the United States like many foods, through migration. When the colonists came, they brought their British recipes and adapted them to incorporate ingredients found in this new land. So, in many ways, it is America wrapped up in a crust; it’s a traditional food that was shaped by its surroundings and evolved over time to become something original.

Now, enough with the formalities, it’s time to unveil some pies from around the world.

India: Samosa

As we know, not all pies have to be sliced; the samosa is a perfect example. Another beautiful example of migration, the samosa‘s history starts in Egypt. It was introduced to the Indian Subcontinent when Persians ruled the country. Originally a royal treat, the triangle-shaped pastry is now a popular street food. This hand pie can be filled with spiced potatoes or minced meat, typically lamb, which is encased in a pastry dough and fried until golden brown. What differentiates the samosa from some of the other pastries around the world is its distinct shape. Understanding it’s origin, it’s makes sense that the samosa has a canning resemblance to the Great Pyramids of Giza.

Armenia: Lahmajoun

We love Italy’s version of pie more commonly known as pizza, but not as many people are familiar with its spicy, Armenian cousin, lahmajoun. Essentially a flat meat pie, it has a long history that dates back to ancient Babylonian times. The concept was passed to sheikhs that would prepare it while traveling through the desert in caravans where everyone worked to create the lahmajoun from scratch (even grinding the wheat with mortar and pestle). Similar to pizza, the base of the lahmajoun consists of a yeast dough. After rising, the dough is flattened into a disc, topped with seasoned lamb, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and parsley, and cooked in a wood fire oven. Today, it’s a popular food in variations all over the Middle East.

Phillippines: Buko Pie

Established by the Pahud sisters in the 1960’s, buko pie is the Filipino answer to coconut cream pie. After trying different filling options like bananas, cassava and squash, one of the three sisters realized that an abundant, obvious fruit might make a better pie: coconut. After combining the meat of young coconuts mixed with sweetened condensed milk and pouring the ingredients over a flaky crust, buko pie was born. Unfortunately, the pie didn’t get the rave reviews of today. Lucky for us, the sisters did not give up and slowly gained the love of Filipino dessert lovers. In addition to the original flavor, variations of the pie can be found using local ingredients.

Scotland: Cottage Pie

When it comes to comfort food, nothing beats a warm, hearty serving of cottage pie on a winter’s night. Not for the calorie conscious, this dish consists of a hearty minced beef and vegetable mixture topped with creamy mashed potatoes and baked until golden brown. This humble pie originated in the late 1700’s in the British Isles and Ireland as a way for everyday families to use leftover meat. Once interchangeable with the shepherd’s pie, a distinction was made based on the type of meat; shepherd’s pie uses lamb while cottage pie uses beef. Today, the dish has been modernized with alternate fillings, including meatless ingredients, and different toppings like mashed cauliflower or sweet potatoes.

Greece: Spanakopita

If you’ve ever been to a Greek restaurant in the United States, chances are you’ve seen spanakopita on the menu. Made with thin layers of phyllo dough, the exact history of this spinach pie isn’t black and white. Thought to have origins that intersect with the Romans, this savory pie starts with a filling of chopped spinach, feta cheese, onions, and Greek seasonings. The filling is either wrapped in phyllo dough to form a triangle or layered in a pan. If you’re a fan of spanakopita, try some of the other pies from Greece like tyropita, a pie filled with local cheese, or kreatopita, a meaty version.

Morrocco: Bisteeya

Walking the line between savory and sweet, the Morroccan bisteeya is an explosion of flavors in a bite. A dish once saved for special occasions, the pie was traditionally filled with a local delicacy, pigeon. Bisteeya has since been adapted to contemporary tastes with the substitute of chicken. To create the lush filling for this North African pie, cinnamon, garlic, saffron, lemon zest, sugar, and orange flower water are added to the chicken. The mixture is topped with sugary almonds and wrapped in a phyllo dough. The pièce de résistance is the cinnamon and sugar that is dusted over the flakey crust after it comes out of the oven. It’s no wonder this pie was served at weddings and during the holidays.

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